BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 16, 2025
Chronic seasonal staffing shortages have been a big challenge for Acadia National Park in recent years, but officials at the park and with partner organizations have suddenly stopped talking about it. That doesn’t mean the problem has gone away. On Friday, U.S. Rep Chellie Pingree said that the damage caused by inadequate staffing at the National Park Service “cannot be overstated.” In the past few years, Acadia officials and others have spoken out about staffing challenges, voicing concerns that the lack of housing and other issues could negatively impact Maine’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry by having fewer staffed services available to visitors. Since Trump took office later in January, however, Acadia officials have not answered questions about how staffing might affect services this year. Park Service officials have not said why they are reluctant to talk, but it comes at a time when federal funding for multiple government programs in Maine has been targeted for elimination.